Sweden: Stop the export of luxury goods to Russia
Sälen – In a speech at the national conference Folk och Försvar in Sälen, Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard launched an initiative together with her Finnish colleague Elina Valtonen. When the next sanctions package is to be negotiated in Brussels, they will push for three new areas to be subjected to sanctions in order to increase pressure on Russia.
Among other things, they want to stop the export of luxury goods from the EU to Russia.
“It provokes me that wealthy Russian consumers can dress in expensive Italian designer clothes and drink fine French wines,” said Malmer Stenergard.
Despite the fact that the EU has already decided on 19 sanctions packages against Russia, there is more to be done, according to Sweden and Finland.
Stopping the purchase of Russian fertilizer in the EU could have a noticeable impact on the Russian state treasury, since it is the third largest export item to the EU.
Another measure that Sweden and Finland want to see is a total ban on European companies offering services to ships that transport Russian oil, gas and coal.
(12 January)
